Sly
by Burnmoon
Summary: To avoid the world's greatest detective, Kira, and a killer with shinigami eyes who are all after your head is no small task. But then again, The Vixen never was and never will be just one small criminal...
1. Chapter 1-The Scent

**_Normally I hate OC stories. I really do. But this is an idea that has been swirling around my head for quite a while._**

**_Well..._**

**_There are no pairings except implied BBxNaomi (one-sided, of course), although very slight. I suppose this is a very, very slight AU where B is alive._**

* * *

_I watched through the holes of my mask as the black armored car full of money (Heh, or to be exact, the lack of it), arrived at the beautiful house resort. A bald man in a suit arrived to open up the trunk. What was supposed to be in there was 10 million dollars. All in cash. Which was funny, considering that the dim-wit driver had not noticed the absence of the weight. Because 10 million dollars in cash tended to be very heavy. But, currently, those 10 million dollars, in cash (how I loved saying that), were lugging down some other car that was driving to a certain somewhere. That car is namely, heh, mine. Well, anyway, back to the bald man. _

_He opened the trunk, other agents milling around. Except for one. Which was currently, heh,... unexpectedly put on leave of duty. In the land of the unconscious mind, that is. The trunk swung open, and although the angle was bad and I couldn't see anything, he shouldn't see anything but the inside of the car. Which he saw. With a surprised and angry yell, (I was surprised, most people just stare dumb-founded at the empty space) he started ordering agents around. To search for the money, which should currently be... Hmm... lets see here, carry the one, plus the possibility of traffic... roughly across the Nevada border. This being California, of course. You know, I liked California, heh. Breezy. Pleasant weather. My only qualms was that Beyond Birthday was in a prison some ways away. Eck. I don't like serial killers. They creep me out, especially when they use symbols. Or dolls. _

_Anyways, on top of the rooftop, I was urging them to see me. Come on. Look up. I didn't put the wooden vixen carving in the guy's house and car for my health! (Or, heh, maybe I did.) I clicked my tongue loudly, and an agent with particularly sharp hearing looked up. I paused for half a second before turning and running, feet making little to no sound, hearing yells. _

_I go by many names. Some too much to count. Not that I ever bother. Non-existent, kitsune, imagination, fox-face... but the most common, heh, is The Vixen._

* * *

Light really didn't like it when criminals that hadn't been caught continued on their daily business like they owned the world despite Kira. They weren't supposed to do that. What they were supposed to do was repent their ways and become good, fulfilling citizens of the world. If they really insisted on continuing their horrible, life-ruining ways, then the least the police could do was _actually catch them. _

Light really had mixed feelings about thieves. On one hand, they were always going around stealing people's hard-earned cash. They possibly put a family in poverty, and that really wasn't good. On the other hand, they weren't exactly killing anybody. More often than not they did because they themselves were poor and needy. And when was the last time a thief got the death penalty?

But of course, thieves who killed to get money had to be put down, no question. Taking human life was unacceptable.

But this thief didn't kill anyone.

But they just stole 10 million dollars.

Also, another dilemma... he had no idea who this person was. Occasionally he had heard about this person in the Western World, and sometimes maybe Eurasia. It had been a recurring theme- victim expects to receive large amounts of cash, is greeted by nothing but the empty space of whatever their container was, with only a carving of a vixen and her pups. The way Light saw it was that this might be a single person or a very small group. However, the police had been treating it as a large organization. But the police tended to be wrong. A lot.

Lets not forget lazy... Whenever someone posted a picture of the suspect, the police wouldn't even care. It was like they were giving up to Kira (not that he minded). And after the removal of the security cameras, things had been suspiciously quiet on L's part. Although Light was positive that the detective was going to pull some nasty, two-bit trick that was probably more than a little illegal, his father watching helplessly as L ran gleefully amok ordering them into breaking into suspect's homes or something. Killing L was probably getting rid of another criminal all in itself.

However, he had another problem to deal with here. The media was calling this thief 'The Vixen', calling him/her/they the 'un-killable criminal'. The only one that Kira wasn't able to punish. Light only scoffed. They called the Titanic the 'unsinkable ship', and look what happened. Sank rather dramatically the first time it decided to venture out of the docks.

Well, he would show 'The Vixen', that he was not to be trifled with. He wasn't going to be mocked. Picking up an apple, with a grin, he tossed it backwards for Ryuk.

He believed some research was in order- time to play detective again. But no doubt L was looking into this... but Light didn't care. After all...

Kira was the god of this new world- one that judges every. single. perpetrator.

* * *

Beyond Birthday sat cross-legged alone in his cell, peering coldly and silently at the ground.

He had lost.

B had lost.

L had won.

Or, to be more accurate, Naomi Misora won. And had promptly rubbed salt into his burning flesh by arresting him, and then running off and getting married like nothing happened.

B had lost.

Lets not forget that the woman had ran off to Japan and had gotten killed. Technically, she was missing. But Beyond knew that she was dead. He could feel it whenever he restlessly slept at night, at the slight tug at his heart when he remembered her. And also how he thought about her. Referring her in past-tense. It was funny, he had never actually considered his slight affectionate feelings toward Naomi until she died. He supposed it was one of the 'you don't know what you have until it's gone.' But how could she have left when he had never had her in the first place? Clutching the bed mattress, with an angry hiss he stood up and re-examined himself for the umpteenth time.

Dark hair. Pale face. And although he had been applying make-up to recreate the bags under his eyes in the past, it was now starting to become a reality with his restless nights. And of course, his burn wounds. They were all over him. He would never be L now. Perhaps he never was.

B had lost...

That was all he could think of when he first arrived at this blasted prison. His cellmate was naturally curious (arrested for murder as well), but Beyond had scared him into not talking to him. He snickered at the memory.

_"So, eh, what are you in for, mate?" A dark-skinned man with an Australian accent asked as B was left with this strange person._

_B had lost. B had lost. B had lost._

_"No need to be scared! I'm in for murder, hehe."_

_Shutupshutupshutup_

_"I don't blame you if your scared."_

_With a growl, Beyond swung his eyes to the man's face, eyes sparking scarlet before he spat,_

_"I killed three people."_

_He wasn't going to elaborate. This simpleton obviously would not understand. He continued to mutter about how there should have been four, the unsolvable crime.._

_"Huh. Ya know that reminds me of-"_

_Enough! _

_Beyond turned to the man slowly, eyes a glaring crimson as he observed the numbers and name above his head. 'This better work,' he thought though he knew it would._

_"You, Jake Happens, will die in approximately 3 months, 4 days, 6 hours, 24 minutes and..."_

_He flashed a glance at the numbers._

_"19 seconds. Now please shut up." And with a squeak, the criminal did just that._

A gruff police guard huffed,

"Eh, Beyond. Time to eat."

A few minutes later, Beyond Birthday picked at his salad, alone and hunched on his chair. What was the point of sitting like L if he was not L? If he could not beat L, there was no reason to sit like him. He had fancied himself the ultimate criminal, and the other prisoners knew it. They would leave him alone. They always had after Jake Happens had come yelping for his buddies.

"Hey! Beyond." A group of criminals surrounded him as the dark-haired criminal genius trained his gaze at his food. He made a sort of growling sound like a dog, and his grip tightened on his fork, held between two fingers.

"Did you hear? The Vixen has struck again! They are calling him the 'ultimate criminal.'"

Beyond's eyes twitched, but he kept his gaze on his salad like lettuce, carrots, crutons and ranch dressing was the most interesting thing in the world. This was not true. He was the ultimate criminal. No one else was. No one could ever be.

"Do you know what that means? That means that you aren't anymore!"

The criminal's cackles went on until Beyond abruptly stood up, facing the ringleader and his lackeys.

_Stein Pheasent_

_Jesse Carols_

_Linch Jefferson_

_Christian Capillaro_

_John Lems_

He would not forget their names. Or their lifespans. No one mocks Beyond Birthday.

"Say, Jesse, isn't your execution in a month?" He stepped closer, widening his eyes for effect.

"You better make the best of what life you have, before_ I cut it unexpectedly short." _He hissed, uncomfortably close. The threat was empty. He could not kill this person if he tried. Stab him in the neck and it would only turn out for him missing the jugular altogether.

"Alright, alright fellas, break it up." Growled a guardsman, standing between them and pushing them gently apart. Beyond snickered and went back to eating, turning and acquiring L's position on the chair.

No one mocks Beyond Birthday.

No one steals Beyond Birthday's titles.

And so, a dark wave of ambition caused the criminal's eyes to gleam balefully and for him to don a sly smile as he sought to take it back.

"Ah ha ha... No, what was it, that's not right... Ah yes, I remember..."

"Kya ha ha ha ha ha..." B chuckled softly.

* * *

L drummed his fingers against the table, popping cherries and gummy bears in his mouth as he looked at some cases Watari had forwarded him, the task force milling around him and talking. Watari had insisted that they take a break, and L had no choice but to consent. Clicking the reward number, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. 10,500,000 dollars to catch The Vixen, huh? Normally he wouldn't really solve cases unless it was eight victims or more... but for 10.5 million dollars, he would be able to make an exception. Technically all those people were victims, right? The victims of a clever person who decided that what they had was too much.

But they weren't clever enough to outwit the world's greatest detective, he was positive of that. In fact, he had already come up with a basic identity. Not name or face of course, for it was all in percentages.

First of all, the name 'The Vixen.' There was a 51% chance of the thief being female. Vixens were female foxes, and it was natural for someone to want their name to correspond with their gender. However, this was the name the media had given the thief because of the wooden vixen statuettes that had been found in all of empty safes, cars, and vaults. So the gender could have been easily mixed and thus the remaining 49%.

But at the moment, Kira was posing a bigger problem. The detective was planning on confronting Light Yagami in person soon enough, but...

"What are your opinions on the multi-million dollar thief known by the media as 'The Vixen'? Also known as the 'uncatchable', 'un-killable,' or 'ultimate' criminal?" He asked suddenly.

L was very adamant on proving all of those names very, very wrong and very, very fast.

Soichiro Yagami spoke up first, saying,

"It's a problem, but I think it can be addressed separately and after the Kira case."

That wasn't what L wanted to hear. But then again, did he really need the help? He had always gone solo, except for the occasional suggestive comments by Watari. The only problem was that the task force expected him to have full-focus on the Kira case. But he would appreciate someone going out into the field for him and investigating.

"That is unfortunate to hear. Considering I was about to be paid 10.5 million dollars to catch them. And rather willing to share it. But I suppose your right, we should focus all of our efforts to the Kira-"

He heard chairs clattering from behind him as the task force members yelped,

"10 million dollars?!"

"Wait a second Ryuzaki!"

"Woah, woah, woah, no need to be so hasty!"

"What?! Well, if you are going to put it that way Ryuzaki-!"

"You can't just leave vital information out like that!"

L smiled a little as he replied to Watari, saying,

_I agree to take the case. The task force members will be joining my cause._

L knew it. Despite all of them being noble-hearted, loyal, and brave officers, they were still human. That much money was almost impossible to resist.

_Uncatchable? I surely think not. _L thought amusedly.

And thus, with the last heist, The Vixen had unwillingly and unknowingly acquired three hungry, intelligent hounds on a mission to skin her of her pelt...

* * *

**Hm, so how was it? First chapter. Writing Light was harder than I thought it would be. :P**


	2. Chapter 2- The Trail

**Hmm. Seems to be moving along nicely. And let me specify- I don't like OC's that somehow are connected to L. Like seriously. All I see is 'L's long lost childhood friend, lover, sister, etc.' So meh... **

**But really, I can't judge too harshly because I don't read them often. AND WHY ARE WE NOT SHIPPING L AND NAOMI MORE. I've read the fictions, they are all really adorable. :D**

**Anyways. A little fun fact, if anyone can guess the theme of the chapter names, I will give them an invisible cookie. Of the internet. By the way, the reason I put The Vixen in first person is so that less information is given that way. I want to have em in some mystery. So it isn't because I am playing favorite with my OC. xD To be honest I have no idea who I want to win at the end. Because I love all these characters. xD**

* * *

_I woke, drowsily yawning and nimbly getting out of bed. Pulling on my street clothes, I flitted about into the morning. I do not bring my mask. What was the point? Heh, though I like causing confusion in my heists by being seen, I don't want all of Los Angeles saying they saw someone with a fox mask looking suspicious. Heh heh, I am not that cocky. But keeping up on the news of the world was preferable than practically living under a rock. Besides._

_L is on the prowl. Any suspicious activity might get me killed._

_Oh, L... What a powerful letter. How I learned of his pursuit against me, I must not tell. Besides, heh, a fox must keep her secrets close to her pelt in order to live another day, no? But when I first found out I must admit I was scared. Who wouldn't be to learn of the world's greatest detective has taken his time to put you on his urgent 'To catch and sentence life in prison' list?_

_Heh, but now I am enthralled by this chase. For a vixen lives to mock those she has outfoxed._

* * *

Things were moving along nicely for Light. He had been able to pinpoint all of the locations of recent victims of The Vixen, and although he hadn't come up with anything particularly useful, he had conjured up a basic identity. Unlike some thieves who used brute force, The Vixen was definitely one to deceive and manipulate rather than hold someone at gunpoint. They were probably also street-smart, athletic, and confident- reports of a shadowy person with a fox mask were not lost on bright student. Light deduced that the source of this confidence had to come from them also being incredibly careful- the entire car, safe, or vault had been wiped clean of every bit of dust- even the wooden statuettes were shiny in their cleanliness. It reminded him of that one criminal he saw... what was his name...

Alas, Light couldn't remember- but he remembered the details. He had left the victim's houses wiped clean of every single fingerprint. It was amazing. Light made a mental note to remember to find that criminal later and kill him. Despite L and The Vixen taking up his thoughts, he couldn't neglect his duties as Kira. A god has to multitask- criminals didn't get to rest easy even if they weren't in Light's priority list.

The only thing Light was concerned about at this point was getting too wrapped up in The Vixen and ignoring L. L, by far, was the most dangerous in his list. He could not afford to put him aside. Unlike the thief, the detective was a direct threat to Light's life. But Ryuk had said that the cameras and bugs were gone, and as far as Light knew there was no one stalking him since Ryuk hadn't made any comments about it. So he could afford to focus on other things right now... like his studying!

_Oh crap!_

In his focus on being Kira, Light totally forgot to study. Putting the Death Note back in the drawer, he reached into his bag and began studying. Tomorrow was the exams!

_Some time later_

Light walked back into his room, eyes wide. Ryuk made a little questioning grunt as the newly dubbed college student sat behind his desk, staring at it. He didn't take out the Death Note. With a little howl, Light furiously slammed his elbows onto the desk, gripping his hair and howling,

"_Damn it_, he got me! _Damn_ L, I've never been so _humiliated_ in my entire _life_!"

The ceremony had been more than unexpected, as had been the test. Behind Light had been a pale student looking at him with wide, dilate eyes with dark bags underneath, his disheveled jet-black hair all over the place. He had been sitting in such an odd fashion as well, along with his clothing. Just a simple, plain white long-sleeved T-shirt and some baggy jeans. Light had disregarded him completely, until he learned he was another top student and... and...

_L._

The blasted student had told him that he was L. Light had been totally blown out of the water, shock registering on his face for just a fleeting moment before he was forced to put on an act of respect and admiration. It was impossible to kill him. Anything he did to him would only put a heap of suspicion onto him. Light had been right. By devoting his attention to The Vixen, he had let his guard down enough for L to strike a critical blow. Light finished his rant with a maniacal laugh, Ryuk looking slightly scared as he watched his favorite human start to lose a few marbles.

L had learned that Kira was in Japan and in the police, possibly a student, narrowed it down to the Yagami's and Kitamura's, and above all shock Light to his core.

Light had managed to hold on by killing Raye Penbar and thwarting the security cameras.

L- 3 Light-2.

When he was done with his half-crazed giggling, Light returned to his Death Note, sniggering as he wrote countless more names...

* * *

Beyond Birthday was in a peculiar position. Both literally and metaphorically. He sat like L on his bed, pondering how to get out of jail and effectively stay that way. Escaping- which B was certain he could- unfortunately was not an option. His face would be all over the news- Kira would kill him before he even got to an airport. So... so...

That was it! Kira was the answer! More than a few criminals had been killed in this prison, it wouldn't be unnatural for one more to die. Everyone dies... But how to do it. How would he fake a death? Beyond Birthday knew how to kill, but did he know how to die? No, it can't be a hear attack. You can't fake a heart attack. The doctors would be all over him, it would never work. But what about... suicide?

B clenched his jaw at that word. He had tried suicide once, and he had failed. He had lived, to always live with his failure. No, not failure... Simply a learning experience. Yes! It does not afford to think negatively. It was simply something to learn from, for how can there be success without failure, however painful it might be? But the doctors need a body...

The serial killer gave out a short little cackle. Of course! In order for Beyond Birthday to die, Beyond Birthday needed to kill first. Yes, that was it! Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? _Because you were wallowing in depression, you twat. _A tiny voice snapped. He didn't deny that. For so long he had just been blind to everything but his own failure, but now... now he had a renewed purpose. He would not lose again.

B would _not_ lose again.

And this time, Naomi Misora was out of the picture. She would not stop him again, not now, not ever!

...Naomi Misora...

No! He could not afford to grieve. There was no room for sadness. She was gone, and not ever coming back. Accept it! There was no room for her in his plans, no room for anything other than what was right in front of him.

Back to the plan. He had to kill someone- but someone who's date of death was close enough. He was not waiting a month to get out of here. But B had a good idea of what to do when the opportunity arose. First, where. The bathroom stalls, yes... the only cameras there were angled so that they could only see them going in and out of the stalls. He needed someone who looked like him, a brush, makeup, a taser, matches, and gasoline. Or at least kerosine. But anyway, he would enter the bathrooms with the person. Go up to the camera view, and make it look like he would be writing a note before entering the stalls. Slide under his victims stall, taser them into immobility, and then strangle them with their own clothing before setting them on fire. He tried suicide by fire once, why not again? There would be no proof that it was Beyond, but the obvious conclusion would be that it was. Then, under the guise of the prisoner, run out in a panic and flag down a guard.

The victim might still be alive. But that was not a problem- Beyond would escape under the guise of said prisoner, and Kira would certainly kill them, thinking them to have escaped. However, Beyond would still be alive and well. The only road left was to take the alias Rue Ryuzaki.

Was it obvious? Oh yes. Beyond wanted L to _know_ that he was out there. There was a possibility that L might post his face and name on the media- but Beyond was 95% certain that he wouldn't. Yes, he counted on L's pride to bring the criminal to justice himself.

Only this time he wouldn't be so lucky. B would find The Vixen. B would capture the thief, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, and then, kya ha ha, and then...

**_B would_ _win_.**

* * *

L had to say he was feeling pretty damn satisfied. And no, it wasn't because he was drinking a Banana Banana smoothie along with vanilla strawberry cake with animal cookies (although he would admit it played a small part), but of what he had accomplished. Yes, he had introduced himself to Light as L, and Mogi as L to the Kitamura's daughter. And the fact that they were both still alive proved that it was successful in either

a) They had managed to back Kira into a corner

and

b) Light had great powers of deduction and would help the investigation move along if he wasn't Kira.

It really was a win-win situation. However... backing Kira into a corner would cause him to lash out, and if L didn't predict it correctly, things might get bad. Above all, L needed to stay on top of all his cases. Since taking on The Vixen case, the task-force had been helping him, however, it wasn't enough. Despite Kira bringing down his number of cases, he still had more than a few difficult ones that he was still needing to wrap up. Kira was a priority, but if word got out he was neglecting his other duties, all the clever criminals would come out to play again.

Despite going against eachother, Kira and L were the two factors that were keeping most criminals at bay. L had never failed a case before, and Kira hadn't failed to kill every single criminal he could find. Things were changing, and the public were starting to move away from L in favor of Kira's reign.

Shaking his head and sighing, the detective popped an animal cookie in his mouth and worked on The Vixen Thieveries, narrowing his eyes as he went over the case details...

* * *

_Duty slammed into Pride, white and black fur mingling with auburn, snarling at him and ripping at his shoulder. Pride's auburn fur turned red and he yelped, skittering away into some boulders. Duty followed him, firmly cornering him before turning away and smelling the air. Fox scent. Vixen scent. Pride growled as he sniffed the ground, Duty snapping at him to make sure he stayed cornered. They both smelled it, this fox scent. Pride's chocolate eyes stared balefully at Duty's wide and dilated ones. Duty's eyes were emphasized with the dark shadow underneath, black tinged and disheveled fur bristling. Pride was bigger than him, yes, but that didn't matter. He was humiliated and in a corner. Duty snorted and trotted on the scent trail, but turned every so often to snarl at Pride and keep the auburn akita in his place. Pride was foolish, and in seeking the fox Duty had been able to land a great blow. _

_Neither of them noticed the black-furred dog sliding through the woods, fur splotched with blood, dripping from his tail and landing on the earth. He too was following the fox-scent. Bright crimson eyes observed Duty as he cornered Pride, but none would win. Vengeance licked his long, cruel fangs. _

_He would be known soon enough._

* * *

**_This time, L was the hard one to write. xD How did you like the little animal-zation at the end? I thought it was fun to do. xD_**


	3. Chapter 3- The Pack

**_Chapter 3. Thanks for the reviews! Nothing much to say here... except for the fact that I should be working on my other stories, and I apologize for any typos I missed. ._._**

* * *

_I enter the hospital with a bouquet, wrinkling my nose at the smell. I don't like hospitals. Fun fact: Did you know my father wanted me to become a doctor? He was determined for me to 'get organized' and become a surgeon like the world had never seen. Well, heh, these nimble hands are used for more nefarious purposes it seems. (Stop it, dirty side of the brain! You know what I meant!) Well, anyways._

_"I've come to see my father, eh..." I started gruffly as I approached the desk. _

_"Oh, I know hun. Go right up." The nurse said with a sad smile. _

_With a nod, I head up the stairs and past the doctors to my father's room. And lo and behold, there he was, bedridden. I have to admit I was, heh, surprised. He looked papery and sunken in, even more then before. Well, the doctors suspect he won't last the week._

_Now, now, don't start getting sappy on me here. Yes, I'm paying for his medical bills, and insurance and all, but I am no, heh, 'Robin Hood'. I only do it because he is my father, no reason else. Trust me, I don't steal because my poor dad has cancer or whatever and I need to do it to pay his bills or whatever. Heh, I have more money than I know what to do with. _

_You may ask why I don't care. That is false- I do care. L is looking for someone who's wealth has spiked dramatically and recently. My father is actually a very wealthy businessman, with a ton of insurance that I will soon inherit. I will have accumulated a large sum of money, and even though it wouldn't affect me otherwise... I am The Vixen, and L will mark me as a suspect because of my wealth, and after moving to Japan... That will start the chase, heh. _

_"How are you, dad?" I start. Eck, I'm starting to feel sick here. If only I was an only child, so my sister wouldn't be here to give me the 'guilt speech'. Which is ironic, considering that she has no job, I am 'barely' paying the bills for my father's house with my, heh, 'meager' salary at a café, but I guess it works since I only visit once a month or so and she every week. _

_Well, here you have it, folks. The great, world infamous thief The Vixen, pursued by Kira and L alike, doing the exhilarating task of awkwardly talking to myself as my dying father gasps for air like a fish out of water._

_And this fox has a mind to stop waiting for its river trout to die of suffocation and just get to its dinner right now. Ah well, at least this is with good reason._

* * *

Light paced his room, growling,

"What am I supposed to do?"

Ryuk swallowed an apple, shrugging as he rasped,

"I don't know. You're the evil mastermind here."

"I'm not evil, and did I ask for your opinion, shinigami?!"

"Yes, actually, you-"

"Shut up!" Light didn't have time for his smart-aleck shinigami, right now he was in a pinch. L... he had actually played tennis with L the other day. Or, maybe a proxy. Who knows. And then he had coffee.

_With L._ Just talking to him was dangerous. Light felt like he had to think about every sentence in fear of giving away a detail that might reveal him as Kira...

Normally, Light would just use his natural wit and charm as a way to make conversation. However, when he last tried to make a joke, Ryuga had just stared at him with those two dark eyes until his light laughter subsided into awkward silence. Light's usual talents that was the cause of his popularity had worked just as well on Ryuga as charming a caveman.

On the other hand, he had made little to no progress on The Vixen. He didn't have anything to work with- just news articles and the obvious. He needed real police access. Along with that, there was nothing on The Vixen in the Japan's police files. The problem was that The Vixen hadn't struck this far east yet- and thus the police here would have no reason to look into it. Kira was the center of attention, no doubt about it, but now it was starting to work against him.

Light watched his offended shinigami floated to the bed, clicking on the T.V. remote and started watching for a good 30 minutes. Light, on the other hand, was starting to feel a little guilty he snapped at Ryuk. The God of Death looked so hurt that it was almost funny. However, that all changed when something started happening and Ryuk starting chuckling.

"Huh? Whats happening, Ryuk?"

"Well, since you don't want to talk to me..."

With a sigh, the college student stood up and observed the television. 'Kira' marked the off-white background in gothic-type font, the voice garbled. The student narrowed his eyes. Who was this impostor? Soon enough, he saw a few anchormen die suddenly on live television, and the true Kira crossed his arms and cackled slightly. And with a huge grin, Light said,

"Well, this is going to make my day, isn't it?"

* * *

Beyond Birthday had a target. It was so lucky, at first the serial killer thought he had read the numbers wrong. It was so perfect that Beyond birthday was almost sure that if he touched this man than something would go horribly wrong and his chance would fly out the window. But no, it seems there was a god on his side... though Beyond was sure it wasn't like any of the benign gods people preach about. No... this was more like... a death god. Grim Reaper, whatever. Well, whatever.

_Benjamin Bessbell, due to die in a week and a half._

What was more... the initials! BB. It was so... so _perfect_. B couldn't have asked for a more perfect scenario. Oh yes, L would know he was coming. L would know that Beyond Birthday would come back, and this time it would be staying that way. Of course, B still needed his supplies. He could probably get the makeup he needed from a lady guard, and a lighter from someone who smokes. The kerosine and the taser would be the hard part to snatch. If he was caught possessing those items, it would be trouble- and it would be all over too.

"Hey! Beyond!" Someone called, snapping the dark-haired genius out of his musings and towards the television, in which everyone was crowding around.

Narrowing his dark eyes, he walked over, his thin frame easily slipping through the crowd to get a better view, and a front row seat.

_Sakura T.V..._

What were they doing tuning in on that greasy old channel? They couldn't spit out a good story if one slapped them across the face and handed them the script and whole details. And then he listened, and he heard them say something about Kira sending them tape recordings. Gothic font type, obviously handwritten, said 'Kira' on an off-white backround. A deep, garbled voice proclaimed that an anchorman would die at a specified time, and B shook his head contemptously. Crossing his arms, he snorted and said,

"What is this? Another hoax from Sakura? You imbeciles, this isn't Kira, this is just some poor tactic to get viewers to...!"

Someone changed the channel, and Beyond Birthday was greeted by someone dead in their chair.

_W-What? I-I've seen that person before, they were not to die until many years from now... Is this really...? Wait, something isn't right here..._

The program continued, demanding the police's cooperation and that L appear on television. Beyond didn't like that. If L dies now, then he won't be able to shame him, or rub his victory in his smug face. That wasn't to work. And then, something interesting...

"And I am aware of the world-renowned thief, 'The Vixen'. You say that they are uncatchable. Un-killable. I will prove that wrong."

And once it was over, a sudden realization chilled Beyond Birthday to the bone. Stunned and mortified, he walked back to his cell, sitting on his bed. No. This can't happen. Not now. There cannot be something like this, something... No...

A second Kira.

Beyond had realized it the second the program was over. The way that they only killed anchormen, far from hardened criminals. The seemingly home-made video. The overall sloppiness. The signs of intelligence far below those of the actual Kira.

_A second Kira._ This... this was too much. One Kira was bad enough, but two? ...

No. This was fine. It didn't matter. In a week and a half, if all went well, Beyond Birthday and Benjamin Bessbell would be dead to the world. There would only be Rue Ryuzaki. And this second Kira was obviously so, so very stupid. This was fine.

Things _would_ go as planned.

* * *

L sighed as he powered off the television, turning to see Soichiro Yagami return, disheveled and near collapsing, with the tapes and all their copies. He had to admit, the good cop had a certain tenacity and determination that held its own with L's. The detective grabbed the bag, thinking about what he had just witnessed...

A second Kira. With only need of someone's face to kill them. Only needed to just look at them, to kill. Ukita's life had been lost because L had not taken that into account, that this copycat might only be able to kill with just a face. But the detective knew that it could not have been helped. He had only just come to the conclusion at the end of the broadcast, so regardless Ukita would have been slain. And there was no way to reverse time.

_You cannot save everyone. _Those were the words Watari had told him a long time ago. He had been out with... someone a whole day, and while he was gone two people were killed that he could have saved earlier if he had not gone outside. It had been up to him to tell the family, who was out on vacation, that their daughter had been murdered. The mothers shrill shriek and afterwards heartbroken sob of misery and grief still haunted his dreams.

Yes, telling Ukita's family that he had died would be no easy thing. It was still L's least-favorite thing to do, by far. But, he still had a job to do. There were now two Kira's stalking Japan, and no doubt both were after The Vixen. L wasn't too worried about the second Kira in that matter- it was the true one the concerned him most. He really didn't want The Vixen to be killed before he could catch them. It would insulting to his reputation and to his pride, which was chipping bit by bit every time a criminal died at the hands of Kira.

In a way, the second Kira's power to kill with just a face reminded him of Beyond Birthday's strange power to see your name without you giving it out in the first place.

Beyond Birthday.

Rue Ryuzaki.

B.

And with time and patience, perhaps three other alias' could be added to the list of names. Perhaps L. Perhaps Eraldo Coil. Perhaps Deneuve. But no, instead of the path of justice and light, Beyond had chosen a path of bloodshed, darkness, and insanity. And right now he was in a jail in California, half a world away, across countless miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Beyond had always displayed promise. L could daresay that he was a favorite. But in the end, B had ended himself with fire. And it was only a matter of time before either Kiras killed him.

* * *

_Duty growled at Pride, licking his jaws. The auburn hound was still cornered, and Duty sought to keep it that way. He took a swift step towards Pride before something small but angry slammed into his side. Not making a sound, Duty skidded backwards, to see a blonde hound snap a him and growl. Light brown eyes, rimmed with crimson stared at him. The fur was silky and long, but her fangs were sharp. Unlike Duty and Pride's ears, standing erect, hers flopped down to her side. Duty narrowed his dark eyes. Not this stupid pup. _

_Love. But why? Love was only a stupid whimpering she-dog vying for attention. Love had no place here where Duty and Pride were concerned. With a impatient huff, Duty began to trot calmly past Love. However, the blonde she-dog was actually serious and she snapped at his ear. Skittering backward, Duty's black ears folded against his head and he growled, suddenly slamming into Love with all his strength. He snapped viciously at her, mercy gone, the fox-scent forgotten. Pride watched, whining. He turned to lick his shoulder-wound as Duty battled Love, glaring at them both respite-fully._

* * *

**_Well, there you have it. I figured that if L could figure out there were two Kiras, so could B. Mello did say that if L's a genius, B is an extreme genius. I like to think they are on sort of the same intellectual level._**


	4. Chapter 4- The Taunt

**_Hello... Time for Chapter 4. I am working this story parallel to 'A Time Before', so forgive me for slow updates. Not much to say here... The Vixen is going to have a longer part, resulting in a longer chapter. And pfft, I guess I shouldn't hide it any longer. Ya, The Vixen is a chick- though I guess it was pretty obvious from the start. But considering that there will be no romance or anything, I don't think it will be a _****_problem. And I've been browsing through the comments of youtube on a few Death Note videos, and did you guys really think the ending was that bad? 0.o I found it to be satisfying enough. And, I mean, am I the ONLY one who actually still liked Death Note after the first half? But anyways, enjoy your nice, long, 4,000 word chapter! :D And yay, B will be out of jail next chapter! Because everyone is in Japan and he's stuck in CA... they are all having a party without him. D:_**

* * *

_I watched as my father's coffin was slowly lowered into the earth, the priest saying final prayers. To be honest, I was getting annoyed. My sister was sobbing into my shoulder (which was now thoroughly soaked) and it was blistering hot. LA is such a pain in the butt when it comes to the heat. I have to say, thieving in my own city was risky, and staying here for as long as this is even riskier. As dirt was shoveled on my father's coffin, I couldn't help but feel... what is this? Grief? But why? I had severed any affections I had with this man long ago- so how could I feel this... this pricking of tears in my eyes? Irrational, that is all this is. My father had always assaulted me with reasons why I should get in a good school, that I should be honest and hard-working like him. Which I am not- I am free to live free of his influence, of my family's influence. I should be thrilled. I should be happy. I should._

_That is what I repeat to myself as I board the plane to Japan. I had left a sobbing sister and distant relatives behind in Los Angeles a week ago, to hopefully never see them again. I had already bought a house with all the furniture in Tokyo weeks before in preparation of this moment, so I already had a place to stay. Heh, the perks of being rich- you never want for anything and everything is already prepared for you, heh. I had decided to enter Japan, as there would lie the most excitement. If L was in there, me being noticed would go a long way. No one was going to care if I was in, heh, an entire continent away. _

_..._

_Of course, I could hardly speak Japanese- just the basics. But I had thought ahead- by ordering a program to help me learn it better, along with a professional tutor, I was set. I was going to need to learn fast- although I got lucky and I was able to buy my house in American money instead of yen, before now I hadn't learned how to read Japanese Kanji, or how to speak the language. And that was very necessary if I was going to steal within Japan- and I needed to be extra knowledgeable here. I was entering the homeland, the main territory of Kira's killing ground, after all- along with L's search radius. And they were, without a doubt, both after me. Kira, after all, had made the announcement that he was after me. There is no mistake._

_Hopefully I will learn quickly. Even though I am a quick learner- heh, I have to be in my trade- there is a certain difficulty in Asian languages that I will have a hard time with. But I needed to get fluent real fast if I was to establish the connections I wanted and needed. You would think that I would have many already- heh, I do. But once they learned I was clashing with the greatest detective in the world along with the added pressure of Kira, they had quickly severed their ties. However, thankfully one stayed true to me and smuggled all of my equipment and all of my cash into my house. However, he was gone now- and I was alone. __  
_

_But for now, heh, I needed some quick and easy money. 50,000 yen should do it... What was that? 500 dollars in U.S money? That should be enough to buy groceries and whatnot. Even though I was tired, I left the house that I had just arrived in, looking at the wooden fox mask in my hands as I walked. I was going to one of the busier parts of Tokyo- to pickpocket some money. Even though my pride was stinging (The Vixen, falling from stealing from the the __wealthiest people in the world to a petty pickpocket- ouch) I would like to have some extra money and after the probable report of all the stolen money. Afterwards, the report of a suspicious person in a black sweatshirt, white backpack and jeans with a, heh, fox mask on would not go unnoticed by either L or Kira. _

_To be honest, my previous intention of having me noticed because of sudden wealth income had been a flop. Despite me requesting all the money be in cash, they had blatantly ignored me and put it in my bank account- no one cares about that when what I steal is all in cash... But maybe that isn't how it works, I suppose. I wouldn't know, my knowledge on banks was never really that precise. So here I am, pushing down my pride and stealing from drunks, old ladies, the stupid, and the unaware, occasionally brushing back my hair... There had been a few cries of a stolen wallet, but by then I had pocketed all of my money and left- heh, parkour style. I liked doing the 'hit-and-run' kind of thing. It was fun. Bump, jump fence, reach into bag, jump off stairwell... fun. Always enjoyable, and the police didn't have a prayer of catching me._

_Taking off my mask, I placed it in my backpack as I turned into an alleyway. I tore off my sweatshirt while I was at it, and with the hood and mask removed, my ginger hair was able to drop down freely onto my shoulders. You know, I really should cut it. But, alas, I'm too proud of it to bring myself to put my hair to the scissors... Anyways, I stripped most of my outermost clothing plus tennis shoes to put into my back pack- which I quickly rubbed into the dirt to get covered in grime and dirt. And now, I was in a white t-shirt, shorts, flip-flops, and a mud-splattered back-pack. Perfectly unrecognizable- I would now be able to go about my day without being questioned. After stashing away my backpack behind a dumpster, I glanced up at the sky. _

_It was darkening- which sucked, because I was still in, heh, LA time, and I wasn't tired at all. Well, might as well go get something to eat. Sighing, I jogged along the street, hands jammed into my short's pockets. Heh, I feel like this would be about the time I got jumped in the alleyway or something- that was always happening in the movies with my gender... But alas, my life is not a movie, so without further ado I decided to go get a cheeseburger. In Japan. At night. Heh, being in a foreign country is great..._

_Hehehehe, though the Vixen has entered the enemy's territory, she makes it easily her own!_

* * *

Light stretched, yawning as he watched the television. A second Kira, who was demanding L's life. Well, this would have been perfectly fine, considering the circumstances.

_If they weren't complete and utter morons!_

The idiots! What the hell were they thinking, mentioning shinigami and the eyes on live television?! Plus, killing innocent police and anchorman? God, sometimes Light loses all faith in humanity.

Oh wait. He already has- which is why he was reforming the world in the first place. And the nerve of L! Making him play the part of the true Kira! Great way to blatantly spell out your suspicions in front of everyone... He could only hope that he would meet this person sooner than L. If the detective managed to snag the copycat, he would learn of the Death Note, shinigami, everything. And piece by piece, he would start to fill in the gaps, click his puzzle together, and seeing Light as Kira would be as easy as seeing snow on a rock.

_Today, more than 20 people were pick pocketed by a mysterious thief._

'Oh, don't give me this.' Light thought, exasperated. Was this a thief, inspired by The Vixen? Ah well, no matter. Light laid out an empty page of the Death Note, twirling the pen expertly as he awaited the name and face of the pickpocket. Because these types of criminals weren't very serious, he would just kill this one by accident. Most like 'fell down and broke their necks, killing them instantly' kind of thing.

_However, no one was able to identify the perpetrator._

Well, wasn't that just dandy. The media had one job- to identify the criminal's identity!

"Ugh, Ryuk, sometimes I want to take your offer on the shinigami eyes." He sighed.

The god of death snickered, biting into an apple.

"Well, I'll always be there for ya', Light." He reassured, Light snorting at the irony.

_Here is an amateur photo of the thief._

Light's eyes suddenly widened and he sat up in his chair, gazing at the T.V. screen. The photo was blurry and quickly taken from the side, but it was clear enough- someone in a black sweatshirt, baggy jeans, and more importantly- wearing a wooden fox mask.

The Vixen. Had they really come to Japan, even when knowing that this was the homeland of Kira, and the hunting grounds of L? Were they truly that cocky to believe that they could avoid both of them? Or were they just answering the challenge of the Second Kira? Light pondered these things carefully- could he really afford to divide his attention between The Vixen and L? Would he be able to? Making a thoughtful sound, he watched as an amateur video of the masked individual ran about, snatching people's money and expertly escaping over rooftops.

Was this even The Vixen? Would they really go from performing huge, multimillion-dollar heists to simply pickpocketing the less fortunate and unaware citizens of Toyko? Light had perceived the thief as arrogant and full of themselves, but maybe pride was not something of importance to them. Groaning, Light got up from his seat and flopped on his bed, startling Ryuk into falling off. Right now he needed to clear his head. Go out with friends or something. With a heavy sigh, he rose from his seat, grabbing his coat and cellphone and saying,

"I'm going out with some friends, Mom!" He was about to leave it at that when he heard an excited gasp come from the living room.

"No, you can't come Sayu!" He added.

"Oh, I see how it is, Light!" His younger sister grumbled, Light snorting in amusement.

He actually hadn't called any of his friends to arrange plans, but his popularity had earned him a whole litter of contacts to choose from- and there was always one that was willing to hang out with him. Hehehe, especially the ladies- they fell for him like sacks of bricks. It wasn't unusual that the thought of-

'It has to be illegal to be this _smooth'_ crossed his mind on occasion of the usual date.

Browsing through his many contacts, he picked Kiyomi Takada for this occasion. She was cute, smart, funny, and actually surprising witty. More importantly, she was a solid supporter of Kira and easy enough to talk to.

"Oh? Light? What's up?" She called.

"Hey, Kiyomi." He started, and for some extra points for later decided to add a little purr to his voice.

"I haven't got much going on, do you think you want to go get something to eat with me with some friends?" He asked causally. He was contemplating actually forming a solid relationship with her as her boyfriend, but right now he just wanted to get a bite to eat.

"Oh, uh... Who else is going?" She asked, a little cautiously.

Light listed some his friends that were also her friends or that she liked, and soon enough he was out with a circle of friends and Takada. The main purpose? Well, for once, there was none. Just some fun with friends... Besides, if Ryuga decided to call him up on his suspicions of The Vixen, Light had an excuse to ignore him. God did he hate that man. Light was pretty positive that if he looked at him one more time, his soul would be sucked out or something like that.

* * *

Beyond Birthday... had totally reconstructed his plan. Killing Benjamin Basebell would be so much of a hassle, and the killer just didn't like how it was going. He was chancing his kill completely on luck, chance, and hadn't like it, and even though B wasn't very superstitious, the conditions were so nice that he expected things to go wrong. And with a second Kira prowling about, he couldn't afford to rely on those things.

And so, reluctantly, he had dropped his aggressive approach and decided to just take it simple- beat down a guard similiar in looks and size in the guise of one of the prisoners, put him in B's own jumpsuit, and set him on fire. He would live, of course, but Beyond had decided that a good, clean, sharp blow to the skull would suffice for some good amnesia. Then, write a letter of resignation, and bingo. B would be out of prison.

B had also managed to get all of his materials from a, ah, _trusted _source within the prison at the cost of more than a few meals, but that was alright.

Well, talented as Beyond was in the art of murder and revenge, that was for sure, yet he couldn't help but feel like maybe it was time to forgive and forget. But then, a tiny voice would reprimand him, asking him to remember poor A- how she had ultimately committed suicide because of L's blasted pride- how he had to have a successor. A had been a close friend, and L might as well have killed her with his own hands.

Beyond remembered seeing the scraggly-haired detective at the funeral.

_"You are a murderer." He spat in the detective's face, clenching his fists._

_"I didn't kill anyone." L Lawliet deadpanned, looking at him with sober eyes._

_"Yes you did! You killed A!" B shrieked, striding towards him. Quillsh Wammy looked like this could get bad, and he started towards B._

_L fluidly dodged B's lunge at him, and suddenly he was grabbed from behind, kicking and yowling,_

_"I hate you! You killed A! You killed her! You killed her! I hate you! I'm going to get you, L, I really am! I'm going to make you wish you were never a detective!"_

B wasn't sure why he wasn't dead yet. When they all started going down, the criminals, he was certain that he would be dead in no time. A part of him convinced himself that it was luck- that he had simply been overlooked, that was all. Another part of him thought it was on L's behalf. But Beyond pushed that part out of the way- A was dead, and that was L's fault.

Of course, Beyond didn't forget that. How could he? Shaking his head, he watched guardsmen passed by his barred door, watched as his cellmate huddle on the opposite end of the cell... He was too bored here. It was time to put this plan in action. He couldn't afford to dawdle, but he still needed preparation. He had picked out a guardsmen easily enough, but the problem was that he was slightly more... well toned... than B. Of course, the serial killer wasn't out of shape, but he wasn't pulling off a six-pack here either. He needed minute details like that down. Coughing into his sleeve slightly, he waited until he was allowed out of his cell and he hesitantly went for the gym.

B stared at the metal weights, treadmills, and all of the other ridiculous stuff. He saw a bulky prisoner lift up what had to be 150 pounds of weight, and he saw another one go forever on that treadmill without breaking a sweat. He looked so out of place here, what with his lanky arms and slouched posture.

Hesitantly he maneuvered his way to a treadmill. He was good at running. Sure, he could do this. Maybe. Starting it up, he started to jog slowly until he looked over his side to see a few other prisoners actually running, sweat running down their foreheads. Competitive spirit sparking, he gouged his finger on the 'up' arrow, the treadmill accelerating to it's highest setting. In no time he was forced to almost sprint, and soon enough he stopped and jumped a little off of the treadmill, embarrassed.

His embarrassment grew when he saw the other prisoners' mouths curling upwards in amusement, and he all but stormed out of the gym, storing both of their names inside his memory for further need of revenge.

_God help me, I'm like a hyena trying to keep up with a cheetah. _He groaned inwardly, muttering to himself about how he wasn't cut out for this.

Ah well.

Patience was key, right?

* * *

L devoured a whole pack of bon-bons as he listened in to the news report. What do you know, The Vixen had entered Japan. They indeed were looking for a challenge- and obviously certain that they would win. This also showed that they were impatient. Instead of waiting for L to turn his attention back to criminals in America, they had decided to take the initiative and come to L, demanding attention like a spoiled child.

They had already stolen from many people already. However, they were extremely cautious from the looks of it as well- wearing clothing that neither identified them as male or female, with a wooden, worn fox-mask- worn at such a position so that the eye holes were dark and unrecognizable. But there was one thing that hinted at their gender- in the amateur video, he saw the thief go and put their hand by their hand as if brushing something away. Hair maybe? Even though it was possible it could be a long-haired male, the possibility of them being a woman was growing stronger and stronger.

However, why would they need to pocket money like that when they were already rich and no doubt had the resources to produce more money?

The detective pondered this for a bit until he came to a conclusion- he had scared off The Vixen's funders. He had seen it happen before- once, when chasing a drug organization, as Deneuve, he had noticed a considerable lessened amount of activity. It had turned out that when the group had found out they were being pursued by the third greatest detective in the world, who's specialty was shutting down drug organizations, many had fled or quit in fear of their own lives.

So this meant that they were not being funded anymore by various resources, as a result of learning that L had acquired the case file. But, surely, the thief at least had to have had _some_ money already? Were they really being degraded into a petty pick pocket as a result of lack of supporters? This meant that they had no regard for money, that they burned through it fast by spending it on nice things constantly. But L had only picked up the case a few weeks ago, and with the amount of money The Vixen had acquired already...

Ah, of course. The Vixen had not stolen in Asia until now, and L had been assuming that they simply just hadn't wanted to until now. However, it was obvious now- with the need to pocket money quickly, lack of funds, the impatient nature and abruptness of how they arrived at Japan... It all drew toward the conclusion that they had only just recently move into Japan, specifically the Kanto region. This also meant that they did not know how to speak Japanese, so needed a more thuggish way to acquire the money instead of stealing from a millionaire, where the need to speak a language fluently was absolutely key in such a difficult job.

Time to tell the task force- not like they helped at all. But you know what they say, sharing is caring and keeps people trusting you and makes them feel like they helped in profiling a mass murderer and an incredible thief even though you figured it out all on your own.

_My sarcasm is unusually high today. Must be the bon-bons. _L thought absentmindedly.

"I have come up with a decent profile for the thief know as 'The Vixen.' Please don't stop at what you are doing, though." He started, eating another bon-bon.

"The thief has only just moved here into Japan. They don't speak Japanese, because if they had they would be stealing from a millionaire. There is a strong possibility that they are female, and so I have decided to refer to 'The Vixen' as a female until we have proof otherwise. I have also drawn the conclusion that her funders have withdrawn from supporting her with equipment and help, although I haven't discovered yet why."

Well, actually, he had, but if they figured it out it would score him points for later.

"Oh.. uh.. maybe because Kira scared them off? Er, nevermind thats kinda stupid since Kira has been going for a while, eer... Maybe you scared them off?" Matsuda suggested.

Huh, Matsuda. He figured something out for once. Good for him.

"That is a good point, Matsuda-san. Know that I think about it, that is probably what has happened." L praised slightly, and the young police officer beamed happily. In fact, the whole task-force seemed to have brightened up, and L knew that they were proud of contributing.

Well, anyway... he had a thief to catch.

* * *

_The fox pounced on many voles and shrews, nipping at them and waving her white-tipped tail. And where did she do this? Why, in front of Pride, Duty, and Love, of course! Pride and Duty pricked their ears and started to stalk towards her carefully, Duty with more confidence in his step. Love, always a little slow, yipped and whined at them before she actually realized what was happening before pressing her fur awkwardly next to Pride, who was inching away from her but didn't want to run into Duty. Of course, the vixen had decided that was enough for now and had slipped carefully away, enjoying the taste of food in her mouth. _

_Meanwhile, Vengeance was slamming against the bars of his confinement, howling angrily as he watched Duty, Pride, and Love stalk out of sight after the fox. The bars were bent badly, and the black-furred canine was reaching desperately with a paw outside the bars, gnawing at them and bending them even more. Wherever he touched the metal rods, he stained them with blood, and he was just barely able to get his head through. He howled again, barking and snapping. _

_He was now able to get a bit of his chest through, and he withdrew and bent the bars more._

_Just a little more, and then he would be able to join this hunt._

_Just a little more..._

* * *

**_Thank you for reading, and remember to review~_**


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